PT Tech Courtney Dunstan demonstrates how to perform one of the exercises at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute at Sugar Land. The facility will provide a multitude of ways for MHSL to get athletes of all ages back in the game. less

PT Tech Courtney Dunstan demonstrates how to perform one of the exercises at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute at Sugar Land. The facility will provide a multitude of ways for MHSL to get ... more

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The Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute opened on the campus of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital April 11. The facility will provide MHSL patients access to a multitude of sports medicine experts and training. less

The Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute opened on the campus of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital April 11. The facility will provide MHSL patients access to a multitude of sports medicine ... more

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IRONMAN, patient tower usher in period of growth at MHSL

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In a community and world of healthcare that is constantly evolving, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital is striving to keep with the times through several additions to their existing campus.

From its humble beginnings, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land has morphed into a community-centered hospital now ushering in a period of growth and change, with a new IRONMAN facility and patient tower leading the charge to fulfill their vision.

Constant growth, change

Formerly Memorial Hermann Fort Bend Hospital and situated near the intersection of University, Highway 6 and Murphy Road, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Senior Vice President and CEO Greg Haralson said the facility served its community well, but eventually got to where employees were almost literally “brushing elbows” with the patients.

“As we looked at where we could grow, that site did not accommodate the growth we needed in this market so we moved to where we are today,” Haralson said of the former facility.

Even now, however, the facility just off Highway 59 is filled to capacity most days, so much so that five dedicated in-patient rooms for pediatrics have adults there now simply due to the region’s growth.

“Every day we’re transferring patients out because we can’t put them in a bed,” said Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Chief Operations Officer Malisha Patel.

Responding to adversity

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land broke ground on its new patient tower about two years ago Monday, and it just so happened that on the same day, the first floor of the 155,000 square-foot, $93 million expansion opened to the general public. The remaining five floors are slated to open in September.

The six-story patient tower is set to offer an expanded conference room, new pre-admission testing department and more, an expanded nursery, neon-natal ICU and an adult intermediate care unit.

Other amenities include the addition of 90 extra beds along with 30 in shelled space pushing the total to 180 available beds upon completion.

Haralson believes Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s newest expansion is an extension of their goal of being a community-centered hospital for Sugar Land and surrounding areas.

“We’ve built the patient tower to meet the needs of our community today and in the future,” he said. “We want to continue to be the healthcare provider of choice for Sugar Land and Fort Bend. It’s our goal to innovate in a way which meets the unexpressed needs of our community.”

“It’s who are,” he added.

Physical advancement

On April 11, the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute opened its doors on the Sugar Land campus. Considered a leader in sports medicine, the facility will offer patients from Sugar Land and surrounding communities access to a multitude of sports medicine experts and comprehensive training to get athletes of all ages back in the game.

“We offer not only rehabilitation and physical therapy and speech therapy, and more therapy for outgoing patients, but we also have the ability to train for human performance,” Haralson said.

The new 15,000 square-foot facility, is located in Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s new Medical Plaza 2 building.

“Bringing this comprehensive Institute to the Sugar Land area allows us to expand our reach into one of the fastest-growing areas in Houston,” Senior Vice President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Ambulatory Services and Orthopedics Jim Brown said in release last month.

Vision

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land considers itself as a community hospital dedicated to its patients, with a constant drive to reach a self-imposed standard.

Family caring for family and patient safety are the differentiating aspects Memorial Hermann Sugar Land claims, and Haralson believes very few can replicate such a high level of care.

“The practices we put in place never harm anyone--there’s zero harm in our organization and we’re committed to meeting that 100 percent of the time,” he said.

“That’s a high bar because we’re human,” he admitted. “But if we’re following the right processes, if we built the processes right and we get people who follow those processes, it’s a standard we feel we can meet more times than not. That’s what sets our vision up.”

An extended reach

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital has also brought the aspects of its service to the surrounding communities, opening both a Convenient Care Center in Sienna Plantation along with an Urgent Care Center in Telfair (which Haralson said is already serving roughly 60 patients a week) during the past year.

“We continue to expand beyond what we bring on campus,” Haralson said. “We’ve brought convenient, high-quality care closer to home. We have Sugar Land and Fort Bend County covered with every service offered by Memorial Hermann.”

“You’re moving patients out of that expensive ER situation when they just need an antibiotic or a shot or physical,” Haralson said. “We can do a lot of different types of care in that setting.

Additional Expansions

Phase one of the $93 million expansion and renovation on Memorial Hermann’s Sugar Land campus included completion of Medical Plaza 2 and installation of an Advanced CT Scanner as well as new MRI machine--a revolutionary occurrence for pediatric patients in Sugar Land, as they are now able to receive an MRI on campus for the first time.

For more information on all the new happenings at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, visit memorialhermann.org/locations/sugar-land or call 281-725-5000.